Eyes Can't See
by 8cheshirekat
Summary: Jim/OC  "So, in other words, you're going to stand there and watch me fail and laugh at me?" "Pretty much." "Loser!"
1. Prologue: EarthShattering

(Jim/OC, Tealshipping) The one you love doesn't always have to make sense. But for some reason, these two make love seem easy and romantic... in their own way. But when the one thing separating Jim from her is the only way to uncover how to help her, he has to chose between his privacy and the only one who doesn't seem to care. What choice does he have?

(**A/N:** Alice made her debut on the story "My One and Only", if anyone wants to know)

* * *

-Jesse and Alice-

She ran up in her little white dress. The frills along the sleeves and hem were lace and somewhat itchy when they rubbed against her skin.

"Alice, stop, we need to fix your hair."

Alice stopped with her foot sticking out behind her. Her pure white shoes and socks matched her dress, but clashed with her dark blue hair.

For some reason, Alice was starting to become pale and her hair was becoming dark. She was starting to look less and less like her mother and father and twin brother.

"Put your foot down, Alice."

Her shoe tapped the floor, but her arms were still raised.

"Stand up nice, Alice."

She stood like a perfect portrait. Her hands were clasped nicely on the front of her skirt. Her shoulders were rolled back and relaxed. Her heels were together and her knees were straight. Her chin was up and her eyes stared straight ahead.

Alice let the servant fix her hair so it was nice and curled and pulled back in her usual half-ponytail.

"Go on, Alice."

"Thank you, Rosemary!" Alice hugged the servant and dashed off, giggling and clopping like an every-day, six-year-old.

Alice rounded a corner and stopped. Her cheerful exterior vanished and she became more of a woman than a girl. "Father," she greeted, pulling her skirts and dipping an elegant, low curtsy. As she stood up, she looked ahead at nothing and, in French, proclaimed she was happy to see him today. Another curtsy and she walked passed him.

Once out of his view, she kept running towards the back doors. She burst out, into the warm sun and ran into Jesse, hugging him.

Jesse nearly toppled over, but laughed out-right. "Hey, off the birthday boy, birthday girl!" he said, loud enough for people to look.

Alice stood on Jesse's left, holding his left hand in her right. It was how they always were. Jesse always came first and Alice always came last. They liked it that way.

"Birthday kids!"

Jesse smiled, but he felt the shake in Alice's grip. As the crowd resumed their talks, he turned to her. "Alice..."

"It's nothing, Jesse. He only did it once." Alice smiled at Jesse with the smile of a broken heart willing to fight. "M, maybe we can go play with the pony."

Jesse smiled warmly at Alice. "N, only if you go first."

-three hours later-

Alice saw the hand come down on her and she turned her face away.

Jesse fought the servants. "Stop it! Stop it, daddy! Stop it!"

"Insolent child! How dare you break your mother's vase!"

Jesse bit the male servant holding him, causing the two to let go and he dove for Alice. As he covered her shaking body, a quake ran through the house.

Jesse tucked in around Alice, his suit and tie from earlier lose about his body. He held her close as an earthquake shook the building. The lose books fell to the floor, servants were yelling to evacuate to the cellar for safety.

"Jesse! Get up!"

Their father took hold of Jesse's arm. He held fast to Alice. "No!"

"We need to get to the cellar!"

"No!" Jesse held onto Alice. The twins would suffer through the earthquake for the sake of being together.

Jesse felt a few heavy objects falling overhead. Suddenly-


	2. Chapter 1: BigShot

Jesse shook his head and looked up at the clear skies.

Central Duel Academy was so much larger than his. His whole school building, library and all, could fit into the gym. The school itself was as large as the grounds of his school.

The difference was that this Academy had a few recreational activities. At his school, they had weekends, when there wasn't any school, but they would spend those days honing other skills. They wouldn't be allowed to duel, but they would be allowed to find something that made them good comedians, instructors, law enforcement, or, in Jesse's case, an Ice Dancer.

He shivered and looked down at the ocean. The cliff behind the Slifer dorms was quite steep and a good way to go if you didn't want them to find your body...

Jesse laughed inwardly. Alice would've jumped just to see how far down it was. Alice...

"M!"

He turned around and gawked.

Alice was standing there, her duffel bag at her feet and a stray bit of hair hiding her face. She had grown, just like Jesse, but now she was nearly paper white and her hair was nearly black, except for the parts she dyed blue to match Jesse. Her uniform matched his, almost. A long, sky-blue trench coat with the sleeves up to the elbows. A pair of black pants with white boots that had a two-inch heel. A short-sleeved white shirt under the coat.

Her hair was down by her hips, when it wasn't tied like she usually had it. Like now. It was tied up so some of it wrapped around in a knot and the rest hung lose about her neck.

"N!"

"What?" Aster asked, his head finally visible, as he and Jaden watched the duo.

"Nothing, Aster." Jesse gave his sister a hug. "What're you doin' here?"

"Dad sent me."

Aster and Jaden felt the air suddenly get heavy and angsty.

Jesse lowered his hands from her shoulders. "Oh." He cleared his throat. "Well, since ya'll're here, lemme show ya 'round!"

Alice gave Jesse a knowing look. She took off her black shades and tossed them into her duffel bag. "I'm supposed to find the king cobra first."

Jesse laughed out-right. "You 'n yer names. Professor Viper's that-a-way." He pointed to the towering school.

"God, it's huge! How do you find anything, M?"

"You'll see." Jesse let her go and saw the other two looking at him. "What?"

"What's the whole 'M' thing about?"

"Our real names. The names our mothers gave us."

"So, you're half siblings?"

"No, no, no, Aster. We're twins." Jesse scratched his cheek. "Hm, how d' ya'll explain this one, Jess? Oh! I know!" Jesse pulled out a car from his holster. "Here, give it ta Alice 'n she can explain it all." Jesse handed them the card and walked towards the school.

Aster and Jaden looked down at the card.

-Alice-

She found Chancellor/Doctor Crowler's office and knocked twice.

"Come in!" came the impatient voice.

Alice took a deep breath. Mentally she said "justrememberhe'saheandnotashebecausehe'llkillyougood" before she pushed the button to open the door. "Sir."

"Ah! You must be the girl they sent to investigate the students?"

"More or less," she said, calmly and nicely. He really looked like a woman, there was no denying that.

"Right, then you'll be allowed to dorm in whichever dormitory you deem worthy of your unique presence." He smiled, his hands together, as if his prayers were being answered by one measly girl.

As she stepped back into the hallway, two boys approached her. One was a gray-suit with gray hair and the brightest cobalt for eyes you might ever have seen. The other was a red-coat, with brunette hair highlighted by blond on the top and a pair of chocolate eyes.

"Hello," she greeted politely.

The gray-suit held up a card, showing her the picture and description.

'_House of Two,_' she thought. '_Ah, Jesse... there you go again._' She put the duffel bag back down and crossed her arms. "What do you want to know?"

"How are you 'twins' if you don't-?"

"Look the same?" she finished. "Honestly, it's a long, complicated story. The short version is that our mother couldn't sustain two babies inside of her and I was removed and birthed inside her twin sister. My birth-giving mother had black hair, hence the strange hair color. Our dad is still the same, we just came out of two different mothers."

"How-?"

"Because I was manufactured, as was Jess. Though, I don't think he told anybody. But we're still twins. House of Two is a two-part card. He has the House and I have the heart." She raised a finger and pointed between the two of them. "By the way, who are the two of you?"

"Aster Phoenix."

"Jaden Yuki."

"Ah, okay. I'm Alice Alexander Anderson." She held her hand out. "Nice to meet you, big-shots." She smiled playfully, Jesse shinning through to them.


	3. Chapter 2: Green?

Alice was propped up in her huge bed and was staring at the wall. She kept rubbing the metal studs on her deck box.

The room was too large. The windows were too tall. The walls were too yellow. The air was too stiff. The closet was too open. The world made her too small.

There was a knock that startled Alice and she looked at the door. It seemed miles away. "Yes?"

The door opened and, to her shock, a crocodile came in. At least at first.

"He-!" She had gotten onto her knees and stopped mid-yelp.

A tall, tanned, handsome guy was standing by the door. His hand held the knob and he was looking down at the croc, so, his wide-brimmed hat hid most of his face. His cloths looked dusty, like he'd been in a sawmill or something that caused flecks to fly. His boots were worn from walking, it seemed.

The whole ensemble was thrown off by a silver bracelet with an oddly liquified-looking gem.

"What's with the crocodile?"

He looked up, his sterling blue eye meeting her piercing hazel eyes. "You can tell the difference?"

"She doesn't have a narrowed snout, now, does she?" Alice slid off the opposite end of the bed. "What's wrong with your face?"

He touched the bandages. "Does it frighten you?"

"No, but it makes me wonder if the croc bit you."

"No, no, it's not that, mate." He smiled brightly. "She's like my sister."

"Sister?" Alice looked down as the croc crawled under her bed and didn't come out. Alice took two steps back. "Er..."

"I'm Jim, by the way."

Alice kept her eye on the bottom of the bed skirt and pointed at Jim. "James Cook from the Australian Academy. Second highest scores on the graduation pre-exams. Fourth place in the Australian championships when you first appeared at age twelve. Current champion to the Australian title. Currently preparing for graduation in seven months."

"How do you know that?" he asked.

Alice took her eyes off the bed skirt. "Your favorite color is green."

Jim was about to ask when-

"OW!"

Alice was being tackled by Shirley, but somehow, she was holding up the massive croc. "H... help!" she strained.

Jim lunged forward and pulled Shirley off. "Sorry, mate!"

Alice collapsed to the floor and exhaled. She slowly looked up at Jim. "From down here, you're tall."

Jim blinked. Did she not care about his eye?

"By the way, do you always walk around with your croc knocking on doors?" Alice got up, dusting off her arms. She slipped her jacket off.

As she did, Jim saw the edges of a bruise on her upper arms. "No." He decided to ignore it. If she didn't talk about it, then that was that.

-Jesse-

He sat up and looked down. "Aly, what's wrong?"

"Jesse..." Alice looked up at him. "I think Jim knows."

Jesse dropped down. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I was changing jackets and he saw dad's 'present' for me." She touched her arm. "But that's not what I mean."

Jesse put his hand on Alice's head. "Alice..."

She looked up. "I mean that I think he knows about my 'ability', Jess."

Jesse blinked. "Do you think he figured out how you got it?"

"No."

"Then let's leave it at that until it's needed." Jesse gave her his bright, warm, twin smile. "Have you met anyone else?"

-Jim-

"How do you think she knew?" he asked Shirley.

She groaned.

Jim smiled. "C'mon, I promised I'd swim with ya, mate." He took his hat off and set it on top of his folded shirt and vest. He stretched, reaching for the sky. "Let's go. I'll think about that later."

Shirley slinked into the salty water. Jim took a running leap and dove into the water like a pro diver. He let his body linger in the middle of the surface and bottom. Shirley swam around him, making wide, uneven circles. His mind blanked about human life and he returned to his comfort zone, with the nature he'd grown with. He gave Shirley a smile and they raced into the open ocean.


	4. Chapter 3: Spyder

(**A/N:** if you read "My One Only", then you'll recognize my favorite frienemy =D enjoy)

* * *

-Alice-

She was standing with Jesse at the walkway to the Slifer dorms. It looked more like home than the Obelisk dorms.

She leaned on Jesse, like she always did. Jesse was the most important thing since his recovery. She adored her brother for his strength to fight back. For his will to survive. It was that drive that she wished she could obtain from him. But she knew better than to ask him to share his secret with her.

Jesse smiled brightly and put his fists on his hips. "And voilà!"

Alice reached over her head and yanked on his hair. "I wanna move in. Do they have a girl's dorm?"

Blair came out of the side building.

Alice popped up. "Hey, why...?"

Jesse shrugged. She lives in there, practically. Still, there's a girls' dorm down that-a-way." He pointed to the right.

There was a building that was only one story. A side building showed a bathroom and a dinning area. It still had the feeling of home to Alice and she gave Jesse a hug before she snatched up her duffel bag. "Thanks!"

Jesse raised his hand. His smile dropped for just a moment, but Blair spotted it. "Jesse?"

He quickly resumed his smile. "Yeah?"

"What's up?"

Jesse looked around before he grabbed Blair's elbow. "C'mere, I'll show you." He turned her around and held his hand out, like he was holding something.

Blair made an "eep" sound.

Ruby had materialized to her vision. Her off-blue fur, her wide eyes, her red diamond shape on her forehead.

"Wow!"

Jesse let go and Blair saw Ruby vanish.

"Wait, what was THAT, Jesse?" She flapped her arms. I don't understand!"

"You don't really need to." Jesse folded his arms and his smile was completely gone. "Let's put it in the simplest story for now. Alicon Alexander and Jesse James are twins that don't really live like 'normal' duelists or kids." He smiled brightly and turned away. "Now, I've gotta go spy on someone."

Blair had a feeling, but asked anyways. "Jim?"

"Close." Jesse winked. "I saw a cutie walkin' 'round a little while 'go." He returned to "Chipper" and skipped off.

Blair turned and jumped a mile.

Alice was right up in her face. "Didjahear? Didjagetit?"

"Um, huh?"

Alice stood up-right again. "Did he tell you?"

"Just the part about not being normal or ordinary and the thing with the duel spirit and the weird stalking thing and the weird names you guys have and the strange spying game he plays..."

"Oh, good, he told you about the cute guy he saw." Alice seemed to ignore that part about her and Jesse. "Wanna see who?"

"I thought he was straight?"

"He's as straight as a string. Trust me. Some days he's all about girls, other days he's all about the boys. Sometimes, he sees a couple and wants to jump in for both sides." Alice smirked evilly. "Though, I must admit, if I had a boyfriend, I wouldn't mind him being like Jesse. It's fun to watch your partner flush at other people."

"No, it's not."

"Well, Marcel doesn't 'blush' he changes colors." Alice put her arm around Blair's neck. "Lemme show you the 'cutie' he was talkin' 'bout."

-Jesse-

He walked passed Adrien when he stopped. He turned around and looked at the back of the red-head's head. "Whacha up ta?"

"Stuff. What're you doing?"

"Walking." He smiled brightly and did a tin-soldier march. He found the door he was looking for and it eased open.

The classroom was dead, save for one man. He was standing at the podium.

Jesse darted behind a desk and slowly poked his head out.

The man wore a form-fitting, black shirt. His trench coat swept the floor about his leather boots, which held his black jeans close to his body. His eyes were a stern blue that made most people's skin crawl. His hair was fanned out, in a sense, around his neck. His face was stoic and unmoved. He wore his heart like a veil and hid it well.

He didn't turn his head, however-

"Who's there?"

Jesse jumped and looked around quickly before he slowly got up. He dusted his knees off. "H-hey! Sorry, dude. Thought I-"

"Could sneak up on me?" The guy started walking off the stage with the podium. He stepped off the one-foot ledge like it was nothing. He seemed to glide to the bottom of Jesse's stairs. "Do you need something?"

Jesse felt his skin crawl. But not with the chills, but with a longing to touch that blue hair! "Er, no, not me." He scratched his cheek. "Er, I'll be goin' now."

"Wait."

Jesse had taken one step towards the door. He slowly turned around and...

-Jim-

"Seriously? They can't make this... JIM!"

He turned around and sighed. "Hi." He waved. After only two months, he'd found that he had a miniature fan club forming. His shoulders slouched every time-

"It's me, Ember!" She bounded up to him, her two goonies right behind her.

Jim nodded. "Yeah." He prayed to god that Shirley would save him half the time.

This time, however-

WHAM!

Alice had come out of no where and grabbed Jim around the waist, spearing him into a nearby fake plant and toppling down the stairs. She did, she'd left him behind on the broken pot.

"OI!" he shouted, getting up. Then he saw it.

A fiddle-back spider was descending from the ceiling.

CRACK!

He looked down.

Alice, instead of swearing, said; "AT-SIGN, ASTERISK, EXCLAMATION POINT, SQUARE!" She got up and rubbed her arm. The crack turned into a-

SMACK!

The railing came down on the sitting Alice. She covered her head and was able to sustain only cuts to her hands. She finally stood up and rubbed her arm a bit more.

Realizing she had an audience, Alice jumped onto a nearby railing. Standing up, she saluted everyone and ran along it's surface.

Without throwing her arms out for balance.

At the end of the rail, she back-flipped and landed on the ground floor. She bowed to Jim and the three girls and sped off.

Jim felt his heart skip a beat. She'd just saved him another disaster because-

"THE BELL!" The trio ran away.

Jim watched the fiddle-back scurry into the moist soil for the fake tree.


	5. Chapter 4: Black White

(**A/N:** i got the idea of "aura" from the duel between Fubuki/Atticus or Darkness/Nightshroud and Kaiser/Zane)

* * *

Alice and Jesse were sitting outside, in the shade of the trees.

"Jess..."

"I know. But you need the outlet. It's getting worse."

"It won't be bad by tomorrow."

"Getting cuts on your body isn't going to go away!" He slapped her shoulder. "Stop it."

"But they'll go away." She lowered her head in defeat.

Jesse kept his hands under her hovering hands. He felt the darkness creeping out of her skin. And then he saw it.

A black shadow slowly itching it's way out of her open flesh. He started to force it back with his own shadows. He leeched off the darkness, pulling it into his white aura. It became neutral space between their hands, allowing her hands to sit on that equality between them.

Alice suddenly looked up and behind her. "Jesse!" she hissed.

"There's no way to stop it." Jesse looked up.

It was the guy he'd met in the classroom, the one who'd refused to tell him his name.

Alice started to quiver. "Jess..."

Jesse didn't lose his focus. "It's okay. He won't hurt you."

"A darkness in the heart. What could it be from?" He knelt beside the twins, facing their hands. He reached out and let his hand hover above her's for a moment.

Alice's eyes glazed and she looked like she was dying or on her death bed. Her face became blank and her body became stiff.

Jesse gasped. The dark creature was receding into her. "What...?"

The guy removed his hand and Jesse felt a small spark. There was a flame in this man he'd met. There it was, the reason for his own darkness.

"She'll be okay." Jesse reassured his new friend.

A smile.

Jesse's face changed colors so fast he was sure steam came off his head. "Um, what's your name?"

"Zane." He stood up, his arms hanging at his sides. His head was pointed in a direction, his eyes stern. "You may want to leave the area, Jesse. Something's coming and it ain't pretty."

Jesse looked at Alice.

"I'll protect her." Zane put his hand out and set it one Alice's head. There was a little reassurance to that and Jesse bolted.

Zane didn't budge. "Who's there?" he demanded, in his own, cruel tone.

It turned out to be the shadow Zane had followed here. He gritted his teeth. Alice wouldn't be able to withstand the impact, but then again...


	6. Chapter 5: Changed Hearts?

Jesse was sprawled out on the carpet in front of his bed. His ankles were crossed as he propped his chin on his hand and his elbow drilled into the rug. He was flipping through the yearbook Alice had brought with her.

He had nothing else to do while he waited.

There was a single, soft knock at the door.

Jesse pushed off the ground and towards the door. He threw it open and saw Zane.

Zane's face had a trickle of blood dripping off his face and was breathing heavily. Alice was on his back, her arms hanging limply over Zane's shoulders and her head still resting on the back of his neck.

"ALICE!" Jesse yelped, unsure what was wrong.

Zane set Alice just inside the door. When he was going to stand, he staggered sideways.

Right into Jesse's open arms.

"Zane? Zane!" Jesse gently put his hand on Zane's face. To his surprise, Zane's face didn't feel cold, like Alice's. It was warm and almost soft. "Zane, what...?"

Zane didn't open his eyes but he did smirk, just a bit. "The Inner Flame."

Jesse smiled and put his head on Zane's. "Thanks for bringing my sister back."

"Whatever." Zane's breathing became uneven and Jesse got up, dragging Zane to his make-shift bed before going back for Alice.

Jesse had to brace himself. Zane's warm body made Alice's hands a blast of ice. He lifted her up and set her beside Zane on the bed. Her eyes were closed, meaning she probably used her darkness to help Zane with whatever caused the injuries. He sat on the floor and put his chin on the end of the bed, between the two. Zane's head was facing Alice and vise versa.

Was it possibly that Zane had a shadow?

-Jim-

He poked his head out of the water and gawked.

Alice was standing there. She was wearing her uniform. It was a sky-blue jacket around her waist with a dark purple shirt underneath. Her black jeans and white boots made her almost look like Jesse. She was just standing by Jim's things.

He swam back to shore and walked up to her. "Hey, I was wonderin' what happened to you, mate."

"Nothing." Alice took a deep breath. "Ember says she knows what's under your bandages. She said it's something you're embarrassed about."

Jim opened his mouth but Alice stomped on his foot with her bare foot. It wasn't hard, just enough to stop him.

"I'm not done!" She cleared her throat and lowered her voice. "So, if it's embarrassing, I'd like to let you know it's a part of you. I've got embarrassing bruises and scars. Whatever it is, I'm sure Ember's got a right, somewhere, to see it."

"Wait!" Jim covered her mouth with both hands. "I need to know something."

"Mph im mit?"

Jim sighed and closed his good eye, lowering his hands. "Firstly, it's not embarrassing, it's just scary. Secondly, are you wearing lip gloss?" She nodded. "Thirdly, how did you know my favorite color?"

Alice's face suddenly flushed and she looked out at the ocean. "It's because I heard you think that I might as well know your favorite color if I knew all that."

"What?"

Alice raised her hand and slapped Jim. "IT'S A LONG, COMPLICATED, CONFUSING STORY THAT EVERYONE WANTS TO... to... ACK! Jim, I'm sorry!"

He had fallen back from the impact, since she'd been standing on his foot, still. He just sat there, rubbing his face. "Why'd you hit me?"

"Er..." Alice flexed her hand. "It's just a reaction. People ask me how I know things and they try to attack me." She shook her hand and hid it behind her.

Jim's eye suddenly followed her neck and to her heart. She was hurt, physically, from hitting him. He could see it in her face, too. She looked on the verge of tears, but she held her other hand out anyways. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Jim." She helped him up. "But the story how I came to be able to 'read' your thoughts isn't one Jesse and I like to share. We tend to hide the story because it's the only time Jesse wished he could've been better. Other than that, we don't hide much else."

Jim suddenly saw something black rising off her. But it was a wisp, like a solar flare. "Alice, do you-?"

"JIM!"

He stiffened and looked to his right, towards the forest. "That voice," he strained.

Alice had an idea. She swept her leg behind his and Jim went down. She used her foot and rolled him over. She used her left foot and pulled his right arm up as her right foot kept his left arm down. She pulled him into a sort of sitting position and suplexed him into the sand before she ran off.

"HEY! How dare you hurt him!"

Jim sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Oi, that hurt." He blinked, watching Ember chase the super-sonic Alice, who was already miles ahead, taunting her. He smiled and leaned on his knees. "Well, Shirley, she's got a way of touching my heart, ain't she?" He put his hand on Shirley's head. "Maybe she might be the one, eh? The old man did leave me the gift to see the hearts."

He touched his chest, right over his heart.

'_Maybe she'll change mine, too._'


	7. Chapter 6: Roses for Garden

Alice was swinging from a wooden swing in the tall oak's shadow. She was singing a song to the small orchid.

Jesse could hear the song over the wall that separated him from the servants and his cousins. Still, he was tempted. He lifted himself to the top of the wall and sat there, his legs gently knocking on the wall as she sang on her swing. He couldn't help but notice she had the same hair and skin as him.

The song was so sweet, so gentle, but so haunting...

"_All the roses in the garden, Sing the song of mourning lost, All the dead in the garden, Remember the cold moon's frost_" made the chills run down his spine.

-Alice-

She poked him in the arm. Jesse just twitched.

She raised her hand and-

Jesse was sprawled to the left of the tree. "Whaddaya want?" he demanded.

She smiled. "Look what I found." She held out Jesse's deck. "Someone snagged it from you and left it in my dorm."

Jesse snatched it back. "Jim seems to like you now."

Alice slid down beside her brother. "Maybe." She pressed her shoulders against the tree. "He may have seen my shadow."

Jesse stiffened. "Did he, now?"

"A few days ago, I was talking to him and he was about to ask me something. The way he looked at me told me he could see it. The shadow must be getting worse." She suddenly changed course. "Oh! How's Zane doing? Is he alive?"

"He's surviving. Your shadow kind of overwhelmed his Inner Flame."

She covered her head. "Oh, man, I feel worse about it." She suddenly gasped.

She and Jesse turned their faces towards the school. At the same time, they bolted to their feet and watched the school closely.

-Zane-

He turned from the ocean and looked towards the school. He could feel it.

The danger that was manifesting within it's walls.

He could hear her, faintly. The girl singing away with the haunting melody and the soft voice. She was gentle, but scared of being discovered. The voice reminded Zane of Syrus, how small and scared Syrus could and would be.

"_Fire away, Nobody will know anyway, They care too much for themselves, They don't bother with the shelves._"

-Jim-

He doubled over and leaned on the wall as his eye burned with a brilliance he'd never known before.

As he slid down the wall to rest beside Shirley, he felt something from the outside gently washing away the danger and the pain.

He slowly looked out the windows. There were three fires outside that were warming the cold chills.

Suddenly, he heard a soft, haunting voice.

"_All the roses have died, My heart withers and dies, Justice doesn't come fast enough, Love won't be enough._"

-Viper-

His eyes narrowed.

The haunting voice was effecting the energy he was collecting.

He turned around.

"_The child cries for her mother, The son wishes for his father, But nobody comes home, Don't you want some?_"

-Jesse and Alice-

They were holding hands like they had as children.

Their lips moved in sync with the song they knew by heart. The song their mother's voice had sung to them at night.

"_Promises that went broken, They are gentle and quiet now, Sleep with the words unspoken, Drift away now._"


	8. Chapter 7: Finally, the Truth?

Jim finally was able to move without the pain and felt Shirley stir under his hand. He quickly looked down.

Shirley was looking away, down the hall.

Jim saw her.

Alice was walking with her head down and her hair pulled back. She looked tense and was passing right by Jim.

"Hey," he whispered.

She stopped mid step and turned to face him. Her feet snapped together and she crouched down. "Are you hurt?" she asked. Her eyes seemed distant and almost cold.

Jim nodded and felt Shirley relax. "Is everything alright out there, mate?"

Alice shrugged. "Don't know. How's Shirley doing?"

Shirley, in response, lunged at Alice, causing her to fall back and give a little shriek.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, Shirley." Alice gave Jim a little look before she got up. "I was actually looking for someone. Do you know where my brother's gone?"

Jim shook his head. "No idea, mate."

Alice sighed and then smiled warmly at Jim. "Well, so long as you okay." She patted his shin before she got up and continued walking.

Jim saw her shadowy aura as it followed her motions.

"Alice?"

She didn't seem to hear him and vanished around the corner.

Jim rested against the wall and looked at Shirley. "I don't know, girl." He felt fatigue and fell asleep there.

He was floating in a room without a floor, but four walls of endless panes of glass and shreds of images.

Suddenly, a hand came at him and grabbed his shirt front.

Jim, by reaction, slapped the hand away and Jesse yelped.

"Ah! He's alive!" He smiled and leaned forward. "Hello, sleepy head. Ya'll worryin' me."

Jim blinked and realized Alice and Zane were standing behind Jesse. Jim shook his head and looked to his left as Shirley gave a little groan. "What happened, mate?"

"Don't know. Everyone's asleep. You were the only one who wasn't breathing..." Alice shrugged. "We got worried. Er... we, excluding Zane."

Jim looked up at Alice and slowly got up. "Can I talk to you alone?"

Alice nodded. "Lemme help you to your room and we can talk on the way." She gave her bright, almost inhuman smile.

Jim watched the other two go two different ways as Alice crouched down to lift his arm over her head. She quietly pulled him to his feet and smiled when he realized he wasn't quite stable yet. "Alice?"

"Yup?" She slowly started walking.

Jim sighed and looked at her out of his good eye. He was glad she was on his left. For a long pause, he couldn't find the right words until they just came out on their own.

But from her mouth.

"What's up with me?"

Jim looked away.

"I can tell you, but there's something I need to know first." She lowered her head just a bit. The smile was gone, it seemed like it was gone for good. It was like her happiness was faded to darkness, as if time wore it down. "Do you see my heart? Or the Room of the Heart?"


	9. Chapter 8: Burning Memories

There was a lingering sense of dread. Jim looked forward, unable to lean on her fully anymore. "I don't see either." He slowly reached out and put his hand on the wall. "I see something like a hallway."

Alice's hand lingered on his elbow as he put his weight on the wall. "So, then, what _do_ you see?"

He touched the bandages, closing his good eye. "It's like seeing the pieces of the heart. Fragments of memories that attach you to people." He looked at her and saw her soft smile as she touched his shoulder. "But you, mate, seem to see right through that."

She shook her head. "No, I see something in you I've never seen before." She touched her chin for a moment before she gently tapped her fist to her palm. "Ah! It's like a burning fire. An undying fire." She giggled. "You should see Zane's! It's huge, ne?"

Jim blinked.

Alice suddenly covered her mouth and her face blushed for a second. "Sorry." She turned on her heel and coughed as she started to flatten her hair, not that there was much of it in disarray. "So, um, I... EEK!"

She was there and then gone, to the floor. Shirley had flattened her again.

Jim couldn't help it, he burst out laughing as Alice struggled to wiggle her way out. When she reached out, she grabbed his ankle. He laughed even harder at her face.

Alice managed to push Shirley off enough to sit up. She started flattening her hair again. "Um, so, um, hi." She reached down and began to pat on Shirley's head. She leaned down and whispered; "ai shiteru, Shirley." She got a warm welcome to that.

Shirley gently nudged Alice on the arm and then closed her eyes as Alice began to scratch between her eyes.

Jim slid to the floor and scooted closer. "So she likes you now, eh, mate?"

Alice looked at Jim with a painful smile. "Yeah, but I can't feel my toes, Jim."

He crawled to the other side and slowly lifted Shirley so Alice could move her feet. When they were clear, he slowly set her down. "I don't mean for her to be so possessive of my space, but we practically grew up together. She's like my sister."

Alice smiled warmly at Shirley. "I would do the same, Shirley. Nothing would ever stop me from protecting my brother." She sighed and maneuvered herself to lie beside Shirley on the floor. "I would die if something ever happened to Jesse. It's probably the same for you, right?"

Jim nodded. "I wouldn't forgive myself for letting anything happen to Shirley." He slowly reached across and touched Alice's fingertips. "There's something I don't understand about you and Jesse, mate."

Alice's hand tensed. "What's that?"

He searched for the words before they spilled out. "Why do I feel a dark aura around you and an airy aura around Jesse?"

She didn't breath a sigh of relief, in fact, she held her breath. She, too, searched for the right words. "When we were children, Jesse and I were in an earthquake zone. I remembered all the earth-shattering noise."

-_flashback_-

Alice was bleeding from her lower torso as Jesse screamed for someone to help them.

Jesse was stuck between a fallen bookcase and a metal wire from the wall. The metal wire was just scraping his skin, but if he moved, the bookshelf could come down and crush Alice and him. He was tearful as Alice slowly opened her eyes.

The metal piece stuck through her wound and she slowly lifted her hands to touch her wound.

"SOMEONE! PLEASE!"

There was a muffled cough and Jesse's eyes turned to the bookcase.

He lifted his fist and began to pound on the shelf and slap the back. "Help! Please! My sister's bleeding! Please!"

There was a grunt as the bookshelf began to shift. Light hit Alice first, as she was closest to the corner.

There was a loud, blood-curling scream from Alice as the bookshelf fell to the floor. She was propped on her knees from the metal piece and her dress was stained with splashes of white, but then it was revealed why Jesse couldn't feel much pain.

His whole lower torso was covered in blood and Jesse could see, but not feel, the pieces of his legs that were broken.

The woman slowly lifted him to her side, where it was safe. She grabbed the end of the metal and told Alice to hold still. She reached behind and began to bend the metal down.

Alice didn't look at the woman, her eyes were on Jesse, who also had a piece of metal stuck in his back, right at the top of his lower spine. She suddenly screamed for Jesse as he began to fall. "No, don't go! Please!"

The woman held fast to Jesse. "No, he's going to be okay." She broke Alice free with the piece still in her wound. "It's okay. We're here to rescue both of you. Your father's survived, but your mother didn't."

Alice's eyes shut tight and tears fell to the floor. "Don't die."

-_end_-

Jim suddenly reached out and touched Alice's cheek. He brushed the tears away. "You don't have to tell me."

She shook her head and took his hand away from her face. She held it on Shirley's back, tracing the lines on his hands. "It's something only Jesse knows. He shouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for my desperate need for him to survive."

Jim's eye softened. "Tell me."


	10. Chapter 9: The Way Inside

-_flashback_-

Alice was sitting, cross-legged, at the foot of Jesse's hospital bed. She had a book open and was reading to him.

The nurses wouldn't tell her, but Alice knew that Jesse could hear her. She could just feel it. Despite their differences, they were still having that strange connection that twins had. She suddenly looked over her shoulder as a nurse came in to check on Jesse.

"Good morning, Miss Alice," he said as he touched her arm. "What're you reading for Jesse today?"

She giggled and showed him her book on dogs. "I read him a book on cats. He didn't like it. So, I'm reading dogs. He likes dogs."

He laughed and checked Jesse's medicines. "Well, since you practically live here, Jesse seems to be getting better. Is your father coming today?"

"I don't know." She crawled up and climbed under the blankets next to Jesse. "I hope so. Jesse wants to show him how strong he's getting."

The nurse gave her a little hug before he left. He quietly closed the door.

Alice curled up next to Jesse. She closed her eyes and tried to open her heart to his connection.

They met in the dreams again.

Alice ran to Jesse and gave him a hug. "I missed you! Did you like the dog book?"

Jesse nodded and sat in the grass. "Should we wait for dad today? I want to play a game with you, if that's okay. I hope you'll let me duel you some day."

Alice suddenly noticed there was a black aura coming off Jesse's back. It spread like wild fire and the whole area behind Jesse became more like a war zone. Alice felt the white aura come shooting off her and she could feel the forest and music of a festival coming from behind her. She slowly scooted back as the blackness came for her.

Alice heard her own voice from the white mist.

"Don't die."

"Come home to your death. It's your time."

Jesse suddenly screamed and the black aura began to consume him when Alice ran to him. A fire came off her finger tips and illuminated Jesse's body. She wrapped her arms around Jesse and her fire spread to him, keeping the darkness off him. "Let go! I don't wanna stay here anymore!"

She shed a tear. "I need you to stay. I can't face father like this."

Jesse gasped and the blackness consumed Alice. She saw the world in all it's negativity. The darkness in the world.

A white mist reached out to her and Alice's eyes snapped open.

Jesse's eyes were open, but fogged. He was coughing and a few nurses came running in as the monitors beeped and alarmed them.

Alice quickly jumped off the bed and plastered herself to the wall. She ducked behind a chair in the corner and began to cry. She felt so lonely and so much more distant from her brother. She sobbed softly as she heard her father demanding something.

-_end_-

Alice sighed and smiled at Jim. "Since then, Jesse's been susceptible to dark things." She looked back at his hand. She had her right under his left hand. She slowly set her left hand over his palm, gently pressing down. "But he and I have both shared the power to see and communicate with the Spirit of the cards." She closed her eyes and a dark aura began to rise of her. "We both can read the thoughts of our enemies in combat, but it also keeps us from opening our hearts to someone. We can tell when they're lying to us. But I can see and feel somethings that Jesse can't."

Jim watched the aura. "Like what?"

"The evil intent of some people. I can see the motives behind dark actions people take."

Jim rested his right hand atop her's. "Do you see what I see, then?"

Alice nodded. "Now, when you feel guarded, you leave me a portal inside." She suddenly withdrew her right hand and it touched Shirley. When she opened her eyes, they were black, through and through. "Now, you will show me what I desire to know."


End file.
